Believe it or not, one raw fresh garlic clove, finely minced or pressed releases more flavor than a dozen cooked whole cloves. When you bake garlic or cook whole cloves of garlic, the flavor mellows into a sweet, almost nutty flavor that hardly resembles any form of pungency. The smaller you cut garlic, the stronger the flavor. Mincing a fresh garlic bulb and/or pressing a clove exposes more surfaces to the air, causing a chemical reaction to

produce that strong aroma and potent flavor (I love my garlic press – see top product picks). When cooking with garlic, remove any green shoots beforehand. The green shoots on the whole cloves contain bitter-tasting compounds that remain even after cooking. Store garlic away from direct sunlight in a cool dark location. Fresh garlic also needs to “breathe” and allowing the correct air circulation will extend its shelf life. When buying fresh garlic, look for a garlic bulb that is heavy for its size, enclosed in dry, papery layers.

#2576 Garlic Press $16.50 [wp_cart:2576 Garlic Press:price:16.50:end]
Press garlic without peeling, then detach the easy-to-use cleaning tool so you never have to touch the garlic. An extra-large hopper and ergonomically contoured handle press more garlic with less effort in less time. Great for ginger, too! Dishwasher-safe.